The Love of Many Things: A Life of Vincent Van Gogh

Published by Hodder & Stoughton General Division, 1991, illustrated, index, 390 pages, some minor edgewear otherwise condition: as new.

A biography of Van Gogh which provides information about his early years - his struggle to become an artist and the relatively short time in which he painted his masterpieces. 

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I think this book reads better than the best fiction. The life of Vincent van Gogh the man, the myth, the legend, is presented here in a way that no work of fiction could achieve. The author debunks much of the mystery, describes the ultimate tragedy and illustrates the beauty that the life and works of Vincent have left us in the end. That this is the true story of a man who most desperately tried, but in his lifetime failed to make a positive impression on the world through his contribution be it through religion or art makes the whole story all the more compelling. What struck me most in reading the details of Vincent's short stay on this planet is how a person's time of birth, family heritage, temperament, acquaintances, loves, places of residence, beliefs, focus, and behavior can lead to tragedy and premature death but also to celebrity and a type of immortality. One is left with the impression that had any one of these factors been changed, the entire story would have ended differently. This book made me cry."